


Thirsty Affairs of the Heart

by galactic_roses



Series: She Has No Apprehension [6]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Creampie, Dirty Talk, F/M, Face-Sitting, Fluff and Smut, Kissing, Multiple Orgasms, Porn With Plot, Rough Sex, Size Difference, Size Kink, Smut, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:53:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27883324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galactic_roses/pseuds/galactic_roses
Summary: Cecielle and Sigi continue to spend time, and things get a little more serious.
Relationships: Sigismund Dijkstra/Original Female Character(s)
Series: She Has No Apprehension [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936390
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, this fic will contain shameless smut!! But there's also plot, so if you're looking for smut only skip to chapter 2!

The door was locked. A shabby piece of paper had been nailed to its wooden planks.

“Out for herbs,” it read. 

Sigismund Dijkstra read the sign twice before leaning on his cane, his brow furrowed. He had come to the shop to once again invite his newest interest to dinner, but it seemed she wasn’t there. A bit annoyed, he turned away from the shop and limped down the street. His spy had yet to return from following the newest lead on Cecielle, and waiting for a report made him restless. He couldn’t pace, as too much walking bothered his leg, but he had to be moving. Even his daily baths didn’t soothe him the way they usually did.

“I need to find something else to focus on,” he grumbled to himself as people scurried out of his way. “Something complicated and time-consuming.” 

A bird flew overhead, squalling as it headed toward the harbor. Dijkstra paused to watch it go, oddly reminded of something from his past, then he continued to walk back toward the bathhouse, deep in thought.

If Dijkstra had thought to leave the city and wander into the forest to the east, he would’ve found an entertaining spectacle. A short, sturdy woman stood beneath a tall tree, staring up into the branches with a grin on her pretty face. Above her, a very tall, lanky man was hanging upside down from one of the sturdier limbs, apparently unconcerned with his precarious position.

“Did you find anything?” Cecielle asked.

“There are a few specimens here, give me a moment,” Sonnas replied. “…Here, catch.”

It was a familiar routine for both of them. Cecielle caught the plants and stowed them carefully away in a labeled pouch inside her bag, then stepped out of the way so Sonnas could jump out of the tree.

“What else do we need?” he asked. 

“Hmm… wolfsbane, wolf’s liver, dog tallow, aaand… ergot seeds?” 

“You know what that means.”

“Unfortunately.”

They turned together and walked deeper into the woods. 

Covered in blood, dirt, and leaves, Cecielle gathered her supplies and stood.

“I always love my outings with you,” she told her friend. “It’s so much better to do this with someone instead of alone.”

“Thanks, love,” Sonnas replied. He was also streaked with gore and mud, but managed to look much statelier than Cecielle. Wiping his glasses on a clean scrap of cloth from his pocket, he looked up into the sky.

“So,” he began, but Cecielle interrupted him.

“Gods, don’t get me started,” she said, gesturing irritably. “I’m still all over the place. Clearly any involvement with him is stupid, but Sonnas, you know I stayed the night with him last week, and that’s always where things start to go downhill.”

“I was only going to ask your thoughts on dinner for tonight,” Sonnas said.

“Oh please,” Cecielle continued with a scowl. “You’re perfectly aware that I’ve been thinking about this.”

“Love, you’ve been talking about it in your sleep.”

Cold trickled down Cecielle’s spine. She ran a hand over the back of her neck in an attempt to rid herself of the sudden chill.

“Have I?” she muttered. “That’s not good.”

“It didn’t bother me.”

“I’m not worried about you, I’d be worried about him. What if I said something?”

“You probably have already.”

“That’s unhelpful.”

“I try.”

They continued to squabble lightly as they wandered through the forest toward Novigrad. Suddenly, Sonnas grabbed Cecielle’s shoulder to stop her, hissing under his breath,

“Look!”

They froze, staring through the trees ahead of them. Something was moving around, sloshing through the water of a small pond that they hadn’t seen on their way out that morning.

“Is that?...”

“Probably.”

“This kind of thing is not really our business.”

“Yeah, but if we leave it…”

“Hm.”

They stared at the monster as it traipsed around.

“Is it guarding something?”

“Looks like it.”

“Well, that settles it.” 

Cecielle opened her bag, tugged open a special pocket, and pulled out two small globes. 

“Well, well,” Sonnas whispered. “Look at you.”

“Shush, and help me.”

“I can’t do much, really.”

“Bullshit.”

Two bombs and a few spells later, the monster was dead.

“Do you think there’s a bounty on this thing?” Cecielle asked. “It’s pretty fucking ugly.”

“Ugly doesn’t mean there’s a bounty on it,” Sonnas told her. He poked the monster with his booted toe. “But we can always check.”

“How the fuck did we manage to kill it?” Cecielle wondered aloud. 

“We caught it off guard, and it looks like it might’ve been injured before we got to it. Those bombs were impressive. Do you use them often?”

Shaking her head, Cecielle rubbed her hands on her pants, trying to spread warmth back into her fingers.

“Almost never. They’re my last resort since I can handle most things with my darts.” 

“You never fail to amaze me,” Sonnas said. He stooped to kiss her on her grimy cheek. Grinning, she patted his face, then walked over to inspect the thing the monster had been guarding. The box was charred from the bombs, but still intact. She pried it open and stared down at the contents.

“That’s handy,” Sonnas said, having appeared next to her. 

“Extremely.”

Supplies gathered, monster killed, and treasure tucked away, the two headed back to Novigrad. It was nearly dark by the time they made it back, but people still stared as they passed. Ignoring the looks, Cecielle made a beeline for her shop, unlocked the door, and held it open for her friend.

“You know what we need right now?” she said, beginning to grin. “A—”

“Bath,” Sonnas finished. “That sounds perfect. Let’s grab clean clothes and go visit your man.”

“He’s not my man,” Cecielle said again, descending the stairs outside the bathhouse, Sonnas behind her.

“If you say so, love.” 

Grumbling to herself, she pulled open the door and walked inside. The bathhouse looked as it always did, the light from the torches casting strange shadows over the patrons and reflecting on the surface of the water.

“Evening, miss,” Happen said, nodding as Cecielle passed by. Apparently her and Sonnas’ bloodied appearances didn’t surprise him at all.

“Evening,” she replied. “We’re here for a bath.”

“Very good.”

“You’re not gonna ask if he’s in?” Sonnas asked softly as they headed for Cecielle’s favorite bath.

“Of course not, you ass,” Cecielle said. “You’re here. I’m not going to abandon you.”

“How chivalrous,” he murmured.

It took a while for them to strip off their dirty clothes. It took even longer to scrub off the worst of the dried blood and dirt from their faces and arms. Once they were clean enough, they rinsed and slid into the bath together, tangling their legs in the small tub.

“Love, I swear, if you weren’t already taken…” Sonnas said, his eyes twinkling. 

“Oh shush, you, I’m barely taken.” 

Leaning forward, Cecielle took one of her friend’s hands, tracing her fingers over the tattooed leaves that twined around his fingers.

“How do you think this will pan out?” she asked. “Between me and him.”

The bath water sloshed as the half-elf shifted.

“It’s a little early to tell,” he finally said. “Things change so quickly, so we never really know how things will end up, do we?”

“I suppose not.”

He reached out and tucked some stray hairs behind one of her ears.

“Why not just enjoy yourself for the moment, love? Clearly you’re having fun, and if things go badly or well, we can figure out how to work with that when it happens.”

After a brief silence, Cecielle asked,

“How long are you planning on staying here in Novigrad, Sonnas?”

“For a while, I think,” he said, “as long as that is okay with you. I can always live somewhere else.”

“I’m not trying to kick you out,” she said with a grin, “I’m just asking. I like having you live with me. Plus, the chances that Sigi will come to the shop to stay the night are extremely slim, to the point of absurdity. His house is beautiful, and his bed is much more comfortable than mine.”

“And stuffed with feathers, you told me,” Sonnas said. He sighed, then his eyes widened and he looked up over Cecielle’s head.

“Ooh,” he breathed. “Look who it is.”

_Is he coming over here?_ Cecielle mouthed. Frowning, Sonnas shook his head slightly, still looking over her head. She dared to glance around.

Sigi Reuven was walking toward the large, private bath in the back of the bathhouse, deep in conversation with two men and a dwarf. Something jumped in Cecielle’s stomach at the sight of him, and she turned back to Sonnas.

“Fuck,” she mumbled. Eyes still fixed on the crime lords, Sonnas grinned, then winked.

“Did you just—”

“Yep, and he doesn’t seem happy about it.”

Cecielle groaned and covered her face with her hands.

“Do you wanna have a little fun with them?” Sonnas asked, a wicked gleam in his eyes, and he leaned his elbows on his knees. 

“No, but do it anyway. We might as well get ourselves in trouble with the Big Four.”

“Oh, I’ll just hide myself, don’t worry. They might think it’s you, though.”

Cecielle chuckled as Sonnas began to mutter an incantation under his breath. He gestured in patterns for a moment, then he fell silent, and twitched his fingers. For a moment, only the normal sounds of bathing and conversation could be heard, then someone yelled,

“What th’ _FUCK_ IS _THAT_?” 

Pandemonium reigned in the private bath. Yelling echoed around the bathhouse, startling some of the regular patrons into flight.

“Amazing how scared men are of a large frog,” Sonnas murmured under the noise. “Let’s see…”

“Where’d it go?” someone snapped. “It fuckin’ disappeared.” 

“Leave the fucking thing, we have business to deal with,” someone else replied with a snarl. 

The noise died down, and people returned to their baths. Still resisting the urge to snort with laughter, Cecielle grinned at her friend.

“We should go,” she said. “I can get railed on a different day.”

“Are you sure? You can stay—”

“I’m sure.”

They dressed in their clean clothes and made their way toward the exit, but Happen stopped them before they could slip out the door.

“Mr. Reuven requested that he see you before you leave.”

“Well, there’s my cue,” Sonnas said. “Good luck, love.” He left.

“Loyalty is so hard to find these days,” Cecielle said, and shrugged. “I suppose I don’t have anywhere to be.”

Inside Sigi’s office once again, Cecielle looked around. It was exactly the same as it had been before. She strolled over to the desk and sat in Sigi’s chair, leaning back to stare up at the ceiling, and began to hum. The chair was surprisingly comfortable. She began to drowse.

“You really can sleep anywhere, can’t you?” a voice growled. Opening her eyes, Cecielle found herself looking up into Sigi’s face. He looked extremely irritable.

“Can I?” she mumbled, and fought off a yawn. “I guess so. It’s been a long day.”

“So it seems.”

She yawned again, then said,

“Hold on, I’ll get up.”

He helped her to her feet, sat down, and pulled her gently onto his lap, positioning her sideways so she could rest her head on his chest. 

“Would you like to come home with me tonight?” he asked. “I could use the company.”

“Why not? Sonnas isn’t expecting me home, anyway.”

“You and Sonnas seem very well acquainted,” Sigi said. He shifted her so he could go through some of the papers on his desk. His heart thudded slowly under her ear.

“He’s a long-time friend,” she mumbled. “I’ve known him for years.”

“Have you?”

“Mm.”

Sigi held her upright with one hand as he reached out with the other and picked up a quill.

“Feel free to keep napping,” he said carelessly. “I just need to finish this.”

Snuggled against his warm body, feeling much safer than she knew she should with his arm around her, Cecielle dozed off.

Dijkstra took a deep breath, then sighed. He dropped his quill back in its place, and looked down at the woman sleeping quietly in his lap. It surprised him that she had managed to fall asleep in what looked like an extremely uncomfortable position, curled up against his front, one hand lifted, its fingers tucked in between the buttons of his doublet. Warmth stirred in his gut.

This was not part of his master plan. He scowled. It was all set out, all planned as perfectly as possibly, with its pieces all in order, and yet… His hand lifted almost on its own to run over her sleek, straight black hair. She stirred under his touch.

“Sigi?” she mumbled. Her eyes fluttered, then opened. Something in him turned soft when he met her warm, brown gaze. 

“Yes?”

“C’mere.”

She sat up to meet his lips with her own, and he felt himself melting. 

“Come home with me,” he said, his voice rasping in his chest. “I want you in my bed again tonight.”

Cecielle smiled sleepily.

“That sounds great. Let’s go.” 

A moment later, she stood, taking his hand, and tugged him to his feet. Dijkstra didn’t even try to resist as she pulled him toward the door. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the smut begins...

Of all the ways the evening could’ve possibly ended, Cecielle thought that she had probably found one of the best, with Sigi’s face between her thighs, his hands gripping her hips. His tongue was amazingly nimble, flicking against her clit with precision and determination. She moaned as white-hot pleasure coursed through her. 

“Gods, Sigi, right there—” she managed, then her voice broke in a cry and she came. Panting, she lifted herself up and scooted down so she could rest her shaking form on Sigi’s front, propping her elbows in his chest. She gazed hazily into his face.

“It’s not fair if I’m the only one who gets off,” she said softly. “Are you gonna fuck me or just sit there?”

Sigi blinked slowly, and ran a hand over the curve of her back.

“You sure you haven’t had enough already?” he said.

“Absolutely not. Do you want me to beg for it?”

Sigi chuckled.

“Never hurts, but I guess you don’t have to.”

His hands shifted to grip her waist, and he pulled her down until the head of his cock pressed against her pussy, then he thrust slowly inside. Cecielle whined as her body stretched to accommodate his girth.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” he growled. He gripped her a little harder and began to thrust his hips. Pleasure spiked in Cecielle’s core, and she buried her face in his chest, her arms wrapped around him, moaning softly as he brought her to glowing climax. He whispered praises to her, still fucking her with languid, steady movements.

He didn’t last for very long, though, and eventually he began to lose his stride, his hips stuttering as he reached his own orgasm. His heart thudded erratically under Cecielle’s ear. She felt him stiffen, and then he relaxed back onto the mattress. 

Wordlessly, he lifted her off his cock and pulled her up to kiss her thoroughly. She kissed him back.

“‘M tired,” he mumbled against her lips. 

“Me too,” Cecielle replied. “Give me a minute.”

She slipped from his grasp, found, and used the bathroom, then returned, climbing back into his embrace. His arms tightened around her, and he rumbled in sleepy satisfaction.

“Night,” Cecielle whispered. She closed her eyes, and slept. 

Lips touched the back of her neck. The feeling sent shivers racing down her arms, and she stirred, opening her eyes to rays of sunlight. Sigi kissed the back of her neck again, and his fingers skimmed over one of her breasts. 

“Morning,” Cecielle said with a yawn. “Is it that time already?”

His answering rumble made her grin. She arched her back and wiggled her hips.

“Come on, then.”

A thickly muscled arm reached around her waist, and suddenly she found herself face down in the mattress, the wind almost knocked out of her from the swiftness of the change. Fingers slid over her clit, making her twitch, then they sank into her. She gasped and made to prop herself up, but a hand planted itself in the small of her back, pushing her down.

“If you want me to stop, say so, otherwise no wiggling,” he said roughly, then drove his fingers into her pussy. She moaned, the careless treatment making her giddy with arousal. The breath caught in her chest as her body tightened, bliss flooding her veins, and climax gripped her like a steel fist.

“You like when I’m rough with you, don’t you?” Sigi asked. He sounded amused.

“Yes,” Cecielle gasped in response. A moment later, sharp pain bloomed on her shoulder. Fireworks exploded in her mind, and she cried out, ecstasy flooding through her again.

Sigi ran his tongue over the place he had bitten, and pulled his fingers out of her.

“Open your mouth,” he ordered, and she did, tasting herself on his fingers as he slipped them into her mouth. “Good girl.”

His free hand snuck under her hips and lifted her, propping her up on his thighs, then he thrust his cock into her soaking pussy. 

“Gods, you’re wet,” he said with a grunt. He bent forward, his gut pressing her down into the bed, and took his fingers out of her mouth, using that hand to prop himself up on the mattress instead. Realizing what he wanted to do, Cecielle wiggled herself up into a sturdier position, whining slightly as his cock slid even deeper inside her.

“Get ready,” he growled in her ear. He shifted so he could wrap one of his arms under hers, forearm pressed against her chest, hand gripping her opposite shoulder. In this position, she was completely under his control, and he intended to take advantage of that. 

He snapped his hips. A ragged cry left Cecielle’s throat before she could stop it. This was not the soft, gentle Sigi from the night before, this was the same man who had so completely and utterly pleased her the first time he had fucked her, to the point where she couldn’t think of anything else for a whole week. 

“I wanna hear that beautiful voice,” he growled, and increased his speed, each ferocious thrust driving heat into Cecielle’s body. She couldn’t have held in the cries if she had wanted to. His bulk pressed her deep into the feather mattress, nearly forcing the breath from her lungs as he fucked her hard and fast. Orgasm after orgasm ripped through her, sending shudders of ecstasy across her skin. She was entirely at his mercy, and just that thought made her crave him even more, desperate to have him, to feel him find his release deep inside her.

“Sigi!” she cried, feeling his grip on her shoulder tighten painfully as she came again, her body clenching around him. A moment later, she found herself lifted into the air, spun around, and slammed back into the mattress. The air really did leave her lungs then.

Wordless and gasping, she looked up into Sigi’s face. A sheen of sweat covered his skin. His expression was strange, almost vulnerable, and it made Cecielle want to touch him. She reached up, and he slowed his pace, leaning forward to press his cheek gently into her hand. 

“Hold me?” she asked, her voice soft. He looked at her for a moment, then gathered her in his free arm and rolled them both over. They stared at each other, panting slightly as they tried to regain some of their breath.

Sigi smoothed hair away from her forehead, then cupped her face in his hand. His thumb rubbed a quick circle on her cheek.

“You’re gonna be the ruin of me,” he muttered.

“And you’re gonna repay the favor,” Cecielle replied dryly. He chuckled, and slid his hands over her shoulders, down her arms, then he grasped her wrists. The gesture sent shivers across her skin.

“Gladly,” he said, and began to move again, pulling her down as he thrust upward. Cecielle let out a raspy moan. Her voice scratched in her throat and broke as orgasm hit her once again. She writhed, but Sigi held her tight, not slowing his rhythm. 

Suddenly, he tugged her down and wrapped an arm around her, burying his face in her hair. His heart thumped wildly and he groaned, the sound sending shivers across her skin. She felt him twitch inside her, and then he came, pumping his heat into her body.

They lay like that for a long minute, breathing hard, still joined together.

“Sir?” someone said from nearby. “Sorry to interrupt but—”

“You have picked the worst possible moment,” Sigi said, his voice low and dangerous, his breath ruffling the hair by Cecielle’s ear. “What do you want?”

The servant stammered.

“Th-there’s someone here, with important—”

“Alright, alright, tell him to wait in the usual room.”

Sigi grumbled as the servant left.

“Sorry about this, but duty calls,” he said. Cecielle mumbled sleepily and shrugged. He slid himself from her and rolled her onto the bed, then stood with a grunt. Listening to the sounds of him getting dressed, Cecielle’s mind began to work again. Who was he meeting that was so important? 

“This shouldn’t take too long,” he said, now fully dressed, and bent to kiss her briefly before heading toward the door. Once he was gone, Cecielle sat up. She knew it was a bad idea, but she wanted to know what information was valuable enough to warrant leaving her in bed, so she cleaned herself off and dressed. The soft padding of her bare feet on the carpeted floor was almost inaudible as she crept down the hall. 

“This only answers one of my questions,” she heard Sigi say. “So you traced her to a small village north of Varlburg, did you find anything else? How she came to be living in Novigrad, perhaps?”

The words sent a chill down her spine. Only Sonnas knew that she had lived in that village, and only a few of the older townsfolk would still be able to remember her. He really was digging into her background, then. That knowledge made her uneasy. 

Suddenly, Sonnas’ words from the day before rang clear in her head.

_‘Love, you’ve been talking about it in your sleep.’_

She swore silently. It must have been something she said while asleep that had tipped him off. If Sigi dug deep enough, he would probably be able to find out even more about her, things she didn’t want him to know. Like what her true business was in Novigrad. Countless deals with other crime lords ran through her mind’s eye. She remembered shipment after shipment of fisstech or mushrooms, and grimaced. Unwilling to sit by and do nothing about this new information, she realized that she would need to get out of the house before he finished speaking to his informant.

A cool breeze touched her face. Breeze meant a window, and a window meant a quick escape, time to clear her head and think of what to do next. She paused, undecided. Leaving like this would immediately let Sigi know that something was up, but if she stayed… Shaking her head to dispel the feeling of being wrapped in his arms, Cecielle went to the window and looked down. The window was two floors up, but the wall of the house was covered in thick ivy. She smiled. 

“You mean to tell me that you climbed out of his window? Isn’t that going to say more than it doesn’t?” 

“I’ll just say I remembered something urgent and slipped out the back door,” Cecielle said. She fiddled with a lock of her hair. “… Or something like that. Listen, Sonnas, I panicked a little. Don’t look at me like that.”

Sonnas was indeed giving her a strange look.

“What are you afraid of?” he asked softly. “Isn’t it about time you told someone about what you’ve been up to? Where you’re from? The business you conduct here?”

“Then I’m just giving him things to use against me. The point of keeping my identity a secret was so no one would have leverage on me. Whatever is going on with us probably is gonna turn bad, and if that happens, he’ll know exactly how to ruin me.” Sighing, Cecielle ran a hand through her hair. “I’m going to visit my sister,” she said abruptly. “Will you hold the fort down while I’m gone, please?”

“Ugh, do I have to?” Sonnas said with a groan. “That means I’ll have to deal with lord tall, dark, and scary himself.”

“Don’t be rude to him,” Cecielle told her friend. “He’s still a crime lord, and he clearly doesn’t like you. If I come back to find you dead, I will be extremely unhappy.”

“And we wouldn’t want that, would we?” Sonnas said, stroking her cheek with a single finger. She grinned. 

“Absolutely not. It doesn’t take more than a few hours to get to Oxenfurt from here, so I shouldn’t be gone for more than two or three days.”

“Don’t be too long,” Sonnas said. “He might kill me out of boredom.”

“He better not,” Cecielle mumbled, checking her pockets. Deciding that it was now or never, she gave Sonnas a quick hug and ran upstairs to grab her rucksack. Her hands flashed as she got everything she would need and tossed it into the bag, thinking hard. She had made the journey before, and knew it wasn’t a long one, but she would need a horse. 

“If Sigi comes looking for me, just say I told you to mind the shop and left. You don’t know where I went,” she called.

“Of course,” Sonnas said from downstairs. “Isn’t that always the story?”

“Yes,” Cecielle replied. She tied up her hair in a tight knot and tugged a hat over it, then changed into pants and a very loose shirt that concealed her chest for the most part. Over the whole ensemble, she fastened her heavy leather belt, carefully making sure that it was all in place.

“How long can you glamour me for?” she asked, jogging down the stairs with her pack. 

“With something simple?” Sonnas asked. “Until you’re outside the city.”

“Perfect. A beard would be great.” 

The magic tickled slightly when Sonnas activated the illusion, murmuring under his breath. When it was done, Cecielle kissed him on the cheek.

“Stay safe,” Sonnas said.

“I always do,” she said, and ran up the stairs again. She would be less visible if she took the path over the roof.

Sonnas was expecting Sigi Reuven to visit at some point in search of Cecielle, but he wasn’t exactly expecting the crime lord to duck inside the shop only a few hours after she left. He watched as the man straightened, looked around, then he caught sight of Sonnas and scowled. 

“Good afternoon,” he said. 

“Hello,” Sonnas replied. “How can I help you?”

“I don’t suppose you’ve seen Cecielle recently,” Sigi said casually. He rubbed the side of his neck, where purple marks were clearly visible above his collar, and leaned on his cane.

“She came in earlier today, told me to mind the shop, and then left,” Sonnas replied just as casually. 

“Did she happen to mention where she was going?”

“Nope.”

“Or when she will return?”

“Also nope.”

The crime lord shifted where he stood, and Sonnas’ eye was drawn to the hand that rested atop his cane. The fingers of that hand had twitched restlessly, and for a moment, a sliver of silver had been visible where the collar of the cane met the shaft. Sonnas raised his eyebrows.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” he asked. Sigi’s scowl deepened and he limped up to the counter. He leaned forward, and Sonnas was unpleasantly reminded that the man was at least six inches taller than himself. 

“We’re both perfectly aware of how I feel about you,” Sigi said softly. His words whistled through the air like daggers. “And we both know that she is hiding something from me.”

“Do we now?” Sonnas said blithely. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Not just something personal, either” the man continued. “She reeks of something more… business related.”

“Does she?” Sonnas kept his voice steady and unconcerned. He picked up a pile of papers from the counter and straightened them. The creases around Sigi’s nose deepened.

“Let me be perfectly honest with you,” Sonnas finally said, setting the papers down to look into the crime lord’s face. “I don’t especially like you either. You have turned one of my best friends upside down and spun her around until she can’t tell north from south.” He sighed. “But she likes you, and I like when she’s happy. So I’ll give you more or less the same advice as I have given her.” 

He reached forward and poked the crime lord in the chest, none too gently. 

“Try taking a chance. Try being honest, and give trust the opportunity to happen or not. Have you considered that maybe her business is none of your business?”

Sigi stared down at him, eyes wide, eyebrows high on his forehead. 

“Everyone’s business is my business,” he said after a pause. His mouth twisted into a half smirk. Sonnas shrugged.

“Well, clearly my advice won’t help you if that is your mindset. You’ll have to figure it out on your own. Now, if there’s nothing else I can help you with…” 

He gestured toward the door. The look Sigi gave him was witheringly venomous.

“If you weren’t close with her…” he growled. His hand twitched on the handle of his cane.

“Oh don’t worry, she’ll chew me out for being rude to you when she comes back,” Sonnas said cheerfully. “Have a lovely day.” 

The crime lord sent him one final glare, then left. Once he was gone, Sonnas let out a deep sigh. 

“I should really know better than to court death in broad daylight,” he murmured, picking up a quill, “but I guess I will just never learn.”

Dijkstra lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. As usual, he couldn’t sleep. His mind was working itself into furious knots. The lull in his usual business coupled with Cecielle’s absence was driving him crazy. Why was he so invested in her, anyway? It had only been four days since she had disappeared, yet he already wanted to crawl out of his own skin in an attempt to achieve some mental peace. He recalled the half-elf’s words, _‘Have you considered that maybe her business is none of your business?’_ and scowled. Those words had shaken him just the tiniest bit, and he hated being shaken by anything. Was it even possible for him to… not dig into someone’s business? 

A soft sound pulled him from his thoughts and had him reaching for the cane that always stood propped next to his bed. 

“Relax, I’m not going to do anything to you,” said a quiet, dry voice. “You’re certainly jumpy today.”

“How the fuck did you get in here?” 

“Hello to you too, sweetheart,” said the voice, and Dijkstra recognized it with a sudden surge of mixed annoyance and relief.

“Where have you been?” he growled, propping himself up on his elbow. He relaxed a little, but didn’t let go of his cane.

Cecielle moved into the room, stopped by his bedside table, and lit the candle there. Her face was thrown into sharp relief, and Dijkstra immediately noticed a new, deep scratch that ran across one of her cheekbones. Her clothes looked worn and dirty, and were not the style she usually preferred. She looked exhausted, but her eyes snapped with awareness as she turned to look at him. 

“It’s nice of you to wait up for me,” she said with a crooked grin. “You didn’t have to.”

“Cut the crap, you haven’t answered any of my questions.”

“And I don’t intend to.” 

Her face hardened.

“Listen to me, Sigi—”

“If we’re being serious, use my real name.”

Cecielle frowned, and leaned on the edge of the bed. 

“Sigismund,” she said clearly, “we need to make some sort of deal, or we’re going to end up trying to kill each other. If you haven’t tried already.” Reaching up, she gingerly touched the cut on her cheek, then looked back down into Dijkstra’s face. “So, are you willing to make a deal? Or are you determined to make an ass out of both of us?”

For a minute, something inside Dijkstra roared and writhed with uncertainty. Thoughts flashed through his mind as he weighed his options against his instincts. Finally, he shifted and sat up, scratching his chin. It had been a very long time since he’d felt like this. He sighed.

“Well, what do you propose?” 

Two hours later, Cecielle took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. 

“We have a deal, then. And you don’t plan on going on behind my back.”

“Not really,” Dijkstra said. “As long as you’re not a danger to me, and I know roughly what’s going on, I’ll manage.” He reached out and pulled Cecielle closer to him, tucking her into his arm. 

“I am curious by nature, I can’t help it,” he said. 

“Aren’t we all, darling,” she mumbled. “I’m so tired.”

“You can sleep here, if you’d like.”

“Can I? Are you sure it wasn’t you who sent those men to kill me on the road?”

Dijkstra snorted. 

“Unfortunately, I’ve grown quite fond of you, Cecielle, and I would be rather upset if I found out that you had been killed.” 

“Strange,” she replied sleepily, “I think I feel the same way about you.” 

She was asleep by the time Dijkstra’s lips touched her forehead. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! This will be the last installment for a while, though I do intend to wrap this series up at some point.
> 
> If you enjoyed, please leave me kudos<3


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